Me too, Bonnie. I have a big soap show tomorrow, so I need to pour some candles and cuticle cream, I'll do that inside later on, when it's hot outdoors. The heat and moisture makes my tropicals grow like gangbusters, thought...my Basjoo banana is growing 6" a day.

Celene, count me among the satisfied customers. I got the gardener's handsoap, and my what a difference it makes in getting them completely clean. I don't have to bleach anymore. A cheap pair of gloves would help my situation, but I seldom think of wearing them till I am outside and already into a big job.

well the little kitty didn't make it. We felt it was best to put him down. he was having seizures . just wasn't thriving at all.
poor thing. hated to do it , but i had to make a choice
gave savannah a hug from you Bonnie. she says thank you.
well we did farmers market
then ran to baseball for austin
came home
dinner
watered
feed animals
i think i m heading for the new hammock
later

Sorry to hear about the kitty, Sue. Savannah sure did seem like she was getting real attached to him - definitely feel for her. DH and I have been hanging out in Oxford this evening. Now that Miami is out we can go back up there, have dinner and be townies again :)

She wrote him a 2 page letter telling him how much she will miss him... . broke my heart.
i just can't believe how much the vet charged me !! $87.00 .
Celene do you think that is way out of line or right there in the general price range ? it just seemed a bit hight to me ? but i have never had to put a kitty down.
so we have 3 left
1 will go to Jess when she moves out on her own.
one litty is for austin
we shall see if savannah wants the other one ? that one is the chunk !!
Austin is sitting with me reading as i type.
storm is coming in seems we may get a bunch of lightening
hopefully no hail will come but i parked in the carport anyway just in case.
good night

Sue, I am so sorry about the kitty. It is never easy losing a pet, and this is a good lesson for Savannah to learn early. You love them and do what you can for them, but sometimes it isn't enough.

I had to drive to Louisville this morning for a part for the swimming pool pump. Got back and DH installed it, and then I vacuumed and cleaned. Should be good to go now. it was hotter than blue blazes today. Last I heard 96. Needless to say, I didn't get out and work in that kind of heat. Still have about 1/4 of the shrubbery to finish trimming, but am hoping that I will get out one morning early and get that job done.

Went out to eat tonight, and then home to do church bulletins and get ready for church tomorrow. Hope the storms don't hit, but we are seeing warnings on our tv, not for this area, but north in Indiana and in Ohio. Stay safe everyone.

wow Bonnie 96 ! stay cool girl.
glad you have a pool to cool off in. i m heading your direction !
good morning
well that hammock felt great last night with a glass of wine and lots of bug spray on me LOL
going to strawberry festival today with jess.
kids are swimming at neighbors for the day.
other than that .. ?
bbl

Sue, we'd have just charged the euthanasia fee, but we build ours so that it includes an office call if needed. An office call + euthanasia would've been about $80 or so, and we don't charge for care of remains on animals who are so small.

which tour did you do Ric ? man i wish i could have gone.
neat pic
did strawberry festival today
hot , humid
crowded
but a good time with Jess.
Kittys are doing good.
finely got the one kitty to eat out of the bowl
will get some more forumula for drinking
slowly adding water.
they seem to like to swim in it rather then drink it

Sue, oh the joys of introducing wee kitties or puppies either to eating out of a bowl. They usually get more on them than in them!

Went to church then home for lunch. Seemed like a day where everywhere I turned somone wanted to argue, even at church. We have a lady who is beginning to lose her memory, and we rotate Sunday School teachers each month, and she was to take over the primary class, but she claimed she didnt know anything about it. We have a schedule, so all she would have had to do was look at the schedule. Anyway, I did an extra week of it, and she will take over next week. Came home and DS SO was here using the pool, and we had words, over things that had been going on for awhile. Guess the tiff at church had me in the mood to speak my mind! All is good though. Sure hope tomorrow is a better day.

Ric, tour sounds good. Glad you brought home some "trophy" plants to enjoy.

Sue, what goes on at the strawberry festival? Just a community thing where they have people setting up booths and selling stuff, like crafts?

Well going to head to bed, I am stiff and sore and my back has started to hurt, so need to lay these bones down.

Certainly must have been in the air. This household was nothing but blowups Sunday too. Everybody's got their backs up, can't say a civil word to each other and what a mess. I live with totally stupid people.

LOL Celene.
good morning i sure hope you ladies get a better day in today with family. Heat can do funny things to our heads. :)
Strawberry Festival is a huge thing in Miami valley and thousands come to it.
pretty good food
venders with all kinds of neat stuff. i got a new knife made out of zebra wood.
and a Ohio state shirt for tim for fathers day. so when he gets back i have a gift for him.
hope it fits him ?
off and running
bbl

Well, Janet...when you're done with the pitchforks and 2X4's can you send them my way? DS is getting married in August and I think I may need some of those for a few choice individuals in the bride's family...durn..

Ric, sounds like it was a great tour with goodies. Wish we could've gone but Tom just wasn't up to much of anything this weekend.

School is out here but college girl goes back for summer classes starting today. So I still have one kid lying around looking at me wanting me to provide entertainment. I just want them to provide some helping out around the house but that's too much to ask. Maybe I need Janet's 2X4's now instead of in August.

Good morning all!
And I thought it was just at MY house...LOL!!
Things get put away here in the fall, and then they suddenly disappear in the spring! I don't love it!
Worked outside as much as I could yesterday...got things planted...still more to go. I ought to be done by fall.
I just can't seem to get into things this year , since it was such a lousy spring.
Our neighbor passed away the other night. They found him outside on the ground. He had a heart attack. 62 yrs old. He hadn't been in good health, though, for a long time. So...tonight it's to the funeral home for viewing. Tomorrow he gets a full honor military funeral. He had been a marine.
Well...late getting up this morning...so I best get at it!
Edited to say...haven't the roses been beautiful this year??????? Everywhere I go, they are just filled with blooms. I'm sure it was the weather.

Yep, Marcy, I have to agree with you on the roses - they are gorgeous this year - everywhere you turn there are beautiful roses blooming. Mine are doing great as well and the blooms are so pretty. I pruned them heavily and wondered how they'd turn out but I think it's such a banner year for roses that they turned out okay.

Yes, roses are beautiful this year. Looks like another good year for hydrangeas. too. Last year they were spectacular.
Visited the EX yesterday. So sad! They take her out and bring her back through the garage. No time to enjoy her flowers. Her favorite rose, Cherry Parfait is blooming and she didn't even know it. It is right in front of the porch. I walked her around the garden, but the ground so dry I couldn't even pull a weed. I was hoping i could find a Matts Wild Cherry tomato seedling, but they would need a jackhammer to break through. I have to get over more often. It's my garden, too
Herman

Thanks to you all on my neighbor. He was a good guy. His longtime companion, Kathy, was an emotional wreck...as expected. His mother seemed to be doing ok though. Not sure it had really hit her yet.
He always enjoyed my gardens...would tell me every time we would see each other. He always called me 'neighbor'...and never by my name...lol. We will miss him.
Bonnie...you are soo right on those directions! Guess that's why I never finished reading them. I keep trying to read them...and they don't seem to make much sense to me...so I lay them back down again...and think...oh well...I'll read them again when my mind isn't so tired...hahaha..when is that??????
Ok...heading outside to get busy here...lots to do..as usual.
Have a great day all!

This is Zephrine Droughn..however it's spelled..lol... on the arbor. To the left are yellow knockouts. Down behind the garage are ..first...the dark red...which is a rose that reverted to Dr. Huey I think...then red knockouts.

Edited to say...that rose above is beautiful , Herman! So sorry your ex didn't get to see it.

Well duh...guess that pic doesn't show the ones behind the garage!
Oh mercy...too early in the day to be losin it! LOL!
Let me try again!
I think that first one...where you see a little pink..then all that dark red...was a Nearly Wild..that reverted.
Ok..now I'm done!

Beautiful Marcy. I have a rambler blooming now, and a Hybrid Tea that was given to me by my BIL. The rambler is pink and the Tea is a deep red, oh, and I have 3 knockouts blooming also.

My magnolia trees are starting to bloom, and oh what an aroma out in the yard. I am trimming shrubbery again today, forgot about the shrubs on the other side of the garage, and thought before I put up the equipment will get them done. Hauled off 3 big wheelbarrow full of the trimmings from the front and side of the house. I am picking up the trimmings as I go along beside the garage.

Marcy, didn't comment on your neighbor, but I am sure it was a shock to everybody, and I am sure he will be missed.

GOOD afternon.
hot hot and more hot
was outside digging holes to get some 3 gal size plants in.
got a huge zebra grass in. the wind broke all the grass on it :( so i cut it and planted it.
the smaller ones are next in the ground or may just winter over in pots but upgrade to two gal.
Jess and i are doing very good. We are actually having fun together. We have never done that !! wow.
she has come such a long way, we both have.
she helped dig some holes for me and is the official kitty sitter.
great pics of the gardens and roses. Sure wish i had some but i think the deer would eat them ?
welp gonna go rest

Sue we had a little talk w/ Jess at the RU.
She was describing how she defended going to the RU (and not having cell service for a day) to her Friends.
Basically she wanted to see all these people her Mom found important and why.
It was pretty refreshing.
Sounds like she's finally 'getting it'. Some just take a bit of growing up... to grow up.
Sure she's edgy... but Mom...LOL!

Hi everyone...is it hot or what????? Ok...smack my mouth!
Not much going on here today at all. Going to go get a perm in my limp hair...and sit in the air conditioning! We arent allowed to use it at home...duh...save it for when it's REALLY hot...lol!!
I hope you all keep cool today!!

i have been watering twice a day .
i let sprinklers run durning the night and early morning
then hand water out front am and pm
been trying to get the larger plants in the ground but man its hot !! even in the am before 8 am !
buy the time sun is gone its still to hot to plant or i m just lazy and in denial ?
kittys are doing good !
kids are good
Rum i m drinking is good too

Made some switchel today. That stuff really kills a thirst. And no problem with low blood sugar, either. My father used to bring it out when we were haying. Found the recipe on Food.com Having a problem with raised bed I made for the eggplant and peppers. Apparently the grass I put down first is keeping the roots from going into the original ground and the plants are wilting, even after the inch of rain we had yesterday that raised my water table a foot. Were fine this AM, but wilted tonight. Try things and learn, right or wrong.
The gym at the Y is only 72 degrees. Good incentive for me to go back more often.
Can't work in the yard in this heat anyway.
Herman

I got out this morning and picked up the debris from the shrub trimming, then deadheaded the iris that is in the yard, the peonies and the knockout roses. Moved some rocks into my little shade garden. Everything is settling in good. Had a funeral to go to or I would have finished the big iris plot. Everything is just about done, so when it is, it is back to weeding.

Need to go to the grocery tomorrow, as we are getting low on several things.

I always wait until the bloom is gone, and the end of the stalks are dry. Then I chop the whole stem down. They need to be fertilized after they bloom too, but think I will wait until we have some rain, so the fertilizer won't burn the foliage. Just use a 10-10-10, or a 5-10-10, and spread it about 6 inches away from the actual plant, and I always water it in, if no rain is predicted. I put about 2 good handfulls around a clump of 10-15 rizomes. Seems to work. Oh, they need fertilizer about the time the daffodils finish blooming and they are about a month away from their bloom.

I know you didn't ask for all this information, but why not know the whole routine?

I kind of enjoyed my bald period when I had chemo ages ago. It was a nice hot summer, & it felt refreshing not to be worried abt what my hair looked like -LOL. I surprised a few pizza delivery guys & paperboys, but nobody died from shock. I'd gotten a wig, but that was hotter than 3 heads of hair, so I ended up wearing a bandana or a turban at work. I loved not having to shave my legs, but I did miss having eyebrows.

I'm catching up on what everyone's up to because I can't sleep for sneezing & blowing my nose. Summer cold. Ugh.
Pat

Sue, I take it easy even when its not hot. Work 10 minutes, rest 20. LMDO
Bonnie, I had a bad case of iris borer 2 years ago. I sieved the soil, cleaned and replanted the rhizomes No borers or flowers last year. I fertilized in the Spring and have nice healthy plants but only 3 bloomed. Some maybe planted too deeply. Maybe the others will bloom in Aug I don't know. Any thoughts?
Herman

I've cut almost all my iris stems back already -it kills the back bending over constantly; I need my iris to be at least 4 feet tall :) and yet, I'm already planning another bed for more of them. Here's a pic of one of the side beds about a month ago.

Sue, I thought Jess was a super nice girl - very easy to talk with and not stuck-up or anything like a lot of kids her age can be. She seemed genuinely interested in everything going on.

Marcy, tell Dave it's definitely hot enough for the AC -lol, we're having fits because FIL will not turn his on and we're all worried about MIL - how hot does it have to get?

Pat - my friend that had cancer said that even in the winter those wigs just burned her up - she loved being bald in the summer as well.

Herman, I've never heard of switchel - is it like generic gatorade? Sometimes iris need a while to 'settle in' before they bloom if they've been moved. I redid a large bed two years ago and last year most did not bloom but almost all of them bloomed this year for me. I found iris borers in a small bed earlier this spring - I hate those things.

Di, I always thought that switchel was a New England drink, but one recipe was Amish. Water, brown sugar, molasses, vinegar and ginger. Without the vinegar it would be too sweet. Gatorade always made me thirsty. I cut it with water, 50-50.
I wish you could see the Presby Gardens in Upper Montclair NJ. 3 acres of iris. Only pics I have are on 8mm from the 50's, but beautiful.
Herman

Durn, no wonder your sugar goes up, Herman! I don't like Gatorade, either. And I don't like it when I'm sweaty or hot - no matter what anyone says. It always tastes bad to me.
I like seeing iris gardens like many people like visiting rose gardens; I would definitely like that. My parents lived in NW NJ for years - where is Upper Montclair?

Yes, Bonnie, this iris has rebloomed for me. very fragrant, too. The re-blooming is not reliable. doesn't do it every year. XGF bought a purple that said it was a rebloomer, but only had more flowers lower on the stem.
The cabbageflower day lily I brought from her house has a scape on it. It, too, has re-bloomed, quite reliable.
Herman

I received some rebloomers from a swap this year and am hoping they put out for me next year. I don't figure they'll do anything this year but I'm anxious to see how they do and if they really rebloom.

Now, daylilies are another matter. I have several that rebloom. Those blooms don't seem as large as the first bloom, but seeing something bloom when everything else is gone sure does something for my spirits.

I have the stella's blooming, and another one opened today. Didn't get out there to see which one it was, but it sure is pretty.

I don't like Gatoraid, and your recipe may be good, but for me just plain water quenches the thirst better than anything else. Now, if I am inside and not out in the hot sun working, I make a pitcher of tea every morning, and I drink on that all day long.

If I'm outside and sweating a lot, nothing but plain water, maybe with a squeeze of lemon or lime, will do the trick. Gatorade and all those other drinks make me thirstier because of the sodium, all I do is run to the bathroom more.

Switchel, I believe, was invented by the Amish...a real old time recipe...and as Herman said, they served it to the men while haying.
Bonnie, reblooming iris are a special variety...so not all will do that.
Hey everyone...good to see you all!
Not much going on here...just trying to survive...first the heat...now the rain again!
Shopping day today again. Seems like it rolls around pretty fast every week!

Marcy, you piqued my interest. Wikipedia says switchel originated ti the caribean, hence the molasses, though they don't mention it. I knew that New England pre-dated the Amish.
I have some of that Iris to trade.
. That is the about the only one I have. Others were wiped out with borers.
Herman

good morning
got a good thunder storm this am
i think its over
glad i don't have to water today :)
still getting the basment mice proof. we have been busy trying to evacuate the mice.
got two today.
bbl

Di, very white and very fragrant. I took one to work and it smelled up the whole car.
Sue, don't your cats like to play with the mice? My cats are like kids, they play with the mice until the batteries run down and then they just let them lay around for me to pick up.
Nice soft rain. Planted 4 tomato plants Should be enough for me and the neighbors. Some little beasty cut off one of my frying peppers.. Like a twig girdler. Had them before, not a cut worm. This one was high enough that the plant will survive.

Herman my cats are still small, but i sure hope they will be good at mice catching :)
well got everything ready i think for the farmers markets.
i m pooped
watching the Waltons and listening to Thunder and lightening , we got some hard rains too.
well i m off to bed.
good night folks and sleep well
sue

Di, and Herman too, we will arrange it later in the summer. All of mine are named ones, but as with the daylilies, the tags became toys for the puppies. So you will just have to try to identify them, or enjoy them without names.

Well we had 4 T-Storms.
Yesterday AM was just a spit.
About 2PM we had 1/2" hail and about a 1/4" of rain.
6PM we got WHACKED... power was out for over an hour... maybe 1 1/2" of rain.
Then about 4AM this morning another ... power out for an hour and a half and maybe another inch of rain.
Soaking rain didn't stop till about 8AM...

Bonnie and Di, you're the experts, say when.
Woke up with pain in my neck, and I was alone. Little cold pack and I'm doing better. Minimal rain from storms last night. I had a humming bird on the alliums, but not much food for it yet. When the monarda blooms it will live here.
Back to feeding the mosquitoes.

Ric, Tom and I are going tomorrow as a surprise for him. Weather is supposed to be nice so I think it will be a fun day. Both kids are working all day so we're just going to take off, turn the phones off, and have some fun touring each place.

We had 1/2 inch in the gauge this morning and that included the drops from yesterday's spits. It skipped over us on the way to Joyce's, I think.

Joyce, I've got lots of good thoughts and orayers being sent your way. We had my dad for a few months back in 2006 and then DPIL here for 6 months back in 2008 after their bad car wreck. It's an adjustment taking over the care for someone, whether it's at your home or theirs with you being the main caregiver. Do they have anyone coming in to help - like Home Health or a visiting nurse?

Hummers are making a strong comeback here. A few weeks ago Tom was out in the yard and one flew right in front of his face and stayed there for a minute. He said it was like it was saying, "Where's the feeders?" LOL He came right in and started mixing the food.

Too funny about the hummers, I had one come and knock on the front door, and looked, and yep the feeder by the walkway was empty. So had to hurry some food out there, to keep him from injuring his long beak!

Joyce, keeping you in my t & p's. caregiving is a long lonely job, but with all the good wishes coming your way, it will be lots better. Just let us know when you need another hug or two.

I'm on my way to the grocery store for the folks. They've been gone, so there was no need to buy any food, but now they're back! So have to fill the larder...(hee hee...not even sure what a larder is!)

Di, No one but me. I am looking for a rich cougar, but at my age they are hard to find.
Bonnie, one thing I learned about plants, there are no "it cant be dones". Someone or something will prove it can be done.

LOL Herman. I guess those cougars would be kinda hard for you to find; you never know, though. :)

I was asking about the teens because you said you had a pain in your neck. When I got online earlier it was after my 16 year old told me how I knew nothing about life at all. Of course, he knows everything, you know.

Di. I remember those times back when. My youngest hits the big 50 this year. With age comes wisdom. Now they know that if they have a problem with plants, it's time to call Dear Old Dad. One way to keep in touch. LOL. They threw a big B'day party for me last year. Came from 5 different states. Great family ! Lucky to have them.
Could anyone id that daylily I posted earlier?
Herman

Good morning everyone!
First...big hugggggs to Joyce!!!
Ric...think I gave you that hollyhock...and no..I don't have an ID on it...lol...but...I can tell you it is a perennial type. The lobed leaves tell you that. Biennials have the rounded leaf. Mine..that are like yours...are also blooming!
Hummers here...come to the back door or kitchen windows...and stay there, looking in...saying..fill my feeder! Bossy little creatures, they are!
Had a wonderful day at the antique n garden show yesterday. Dave bought me a long cement planter that must weigh over a hundred pounds...duh...!
We ALWAYS buy the heaviest stuff! Got some more plants too of course..!
And trees! Got a Chinquipin Oak...a tulip tree...hmmm..thinkin...a KY coffee tree...a shagbark hickory...and a butternut tree. All are native trees...and all are about 5 ft. tall...only 7.50 each. What a deal!
Also found the cutest lil wrought iron table n chairs..bright yellow..think he called it Rustoleum Yellow...LOL...but just the right size to put on the pad in my orchard shade garden!!
It was a GREAT show this year. The lady that owns the house where this show is has bottlebrush buckeyes...among other things. I want one soo bad.
She gave me her email...and said send me your name and email..and i will either start from seed or try layering for you...woohoo! AND...she has two diff varieties...which I didn't even know about!
We had to come home..unload plants n trees...and then go back with the truck to pick up the table n chairs! Ate supper at Panera Bread...and then came on home. We really enjoyed it!
They also have a show in the fall...looking forward to that one!
It's called Lost Creek Antique n Garden Show..in Troy, Ohia ..in case any are interested!
Well..looks like I best get moving...and get to planting!!! Hope you all have a wonderful day!!

good morning everyone
Herman to funny on the cougars LOLLL
Cookie sending big (())) and glad they are doing better.
i m soooo tired today.
farmers market really wipes me out,
stayed up to late watching Transformers its a loooong movie !
slept in to 9 am
i could go b ack to sleep no problem
but got 4 h meeting in 2 hrs.
must get more coffee !

Oh Marcy, I'm so jealous! I just saw those chinquipin oaks last year for the first time. As an adult tree they are so very cool! They have these horizontal limbs that go on and on. The lady where I saw them is supposed to be watching for a seedling for me, but I'd rather pay 7.50 and have it right now! Was this a business selling these, or a person?

Morning all! Thanks for all the well wishes. On my way to fix their lunch!

Mmmm..Joyce..I'm not sure if he has a business or not? He was selling only native trees..I do know that. I'll have to look n see if we got a business card from him? I think we did.
The Chinquipin is kinda special to me. My Grandpa had two boys..my dad n my uncle. They built ...(when I was a little girl!) a large log cabin in my grandpa's woods...just a big one room ...with a cook in fireplace. It was just for family n friends gatherings. All around there were Chinquipin oaks...so he named the cabin...Chinquipin Lodge. I grew up playing in those woods..and spent many a happy time in that cabin. It is still there today..my cousin now owns it. Ahhhh ...memories!
The place where the show was yesterday, has a Chinquipin that was planted in the early 1800's. I wish you could see it!! It is enormous..and still beautiful!

For Joyce...and anyone else interested...here is the tree man's business card info.
Native Ohio Plants...Ron Corbett..email address is: nativeohio@earthlink.nethttp://www.nativeohioplants.com
His Phone number: 937-524-4058
All of the above is listed on his business card.

I'll have Bottlebrush Buckeye seeds here in a few months.
Problem w/ them is they have to be planted before they look ripe or finished.
If they dry out at all they die.
Eric's having good luck starting them in a damp towel/ziplock and the immediately on seeing roots potting them.

Definitely a Stella. Just a little healthier than the others. I feel stupid. Another clump for the garbage can. They should be listed as invasive.
So cool today, I wore pants Planted my Mandevilla out today. Finally figured where to put it. Usually took it to EX's house. Kitchen window looks bare.
Sue, what's so funny about the cougar. I have all the important traits women look for in a man my age--Hair, I can stand and most importantly, I'm breathing.
BTW- the pants thing. After I wore pants all Summer. I came to work wearing slacks. The boss's wife said "I didn't recognize you with pants on" ROFL-CGU
Herman

Marcy, I want one of those bottlebrush buckeyes as well. I saw one at the pond show today and fell in love with it.

Ric, took that Pondarama tour today and all I can say is WOW! Some real beauties on the tour for certain. We didn't make it to all of them but saw plenty to keep us happy. I went to the one in Northern Ky and fell in love with some of her plants, especially the reddish-purple leaved redbud she had in the front yard. You can bet I'll be looking for one. Tom can't wait to go to the next one - thanks so much for the info!

We don't have tours like that around here, without going to the "big" cities. I went to one once a long time ago in the Highlands in Louisville, which is a very exclusive neighborhood. Talking about sticking out like a sore thumb among all those bluebloods. And their gardens were all that either.

Bonnie, I have to admit I didn't meet one person who had their nose in the air. Every homeowner we met was a garden lover and were more than willing to talk about their yards, plants, and ponds. That's the main reason we didn't make it to all of them - we were too busy talking to get moving! :) But, after saying all that, we went to homes in all price ranges as well. There was only one home that we went to that the homeowner was not out in the yard talking to people on the tour.

Well, that is good Di, and I guess I should give it another try. But on that particular tour, it was sponsored by a Master Gardener's club, and you could tell by the landscaping that they all had gardeners and were just pretending to garden themselves. I can't remember how I got hooked up with that group, but I can tell you I was very glad when the tour was over. We were bused around, and there was no way I could escape and get in my car and drive away, or I would have!

Yep, that would make me nuts if I couldn't get in my car and just leave if I wanted. This one was nice because it was a 'do it on your own' tour. I went to a garden tour sponsored by the Middletown Arts up here a few years ago and ran into a homeowner that wanted her house 'shown' - it was easily one of those half million dollar ones. She was out in her yard, very friendly but had no clue what anyone was talking about when asked about her plants. She was quick to tell everyone, though, that her gardener would be there shortly. LOL I thought, Honey, this is a garden tour, not Homearama!

Di...I saw one of those purple leaved redbuds too!!! It was from Miami Nursery in Tipp City, Ohio ...I'm pretty sure! Can't remember the cultivar..but the picture he showed me of it was a beauty!! I want one of those too! Haven't had time to look it up yet!
Dave just laughs at me...he says...I'm...gimme gimme I want!!! LOL! Ya..maybeeeeeee!!!
Got a lot done yesterday...still more to do of course! Going to work on that today!

Herman i hope i didn't hurt your feelings ? yes you do have the traits women want :) you sound like a great catch to me. ! You have a great sense of humor too ! don't forget that . I love a man who can make me laugh , hair or no hair :)

Another beautiful Spring day. Topping out in the lo 70's w/slight breeze. And I slept til 9:30. No, Sue you didn't hurt my feelings. I just try to stay cheerful. No one wants to hear me P&M all the time. I do have one really big deficit, no money, but unlike the Gummint, no debt.. Others a lot worse off. I have my house and gardens. I can't cry in my beer. With my meds, no beer. But its been so long, I don't miss it.
Herman

LOL @ Herman...and th P n M!! Doesn't do any good anyway, Herman...no one listens!!
Jules...yeah..I know how big they get! This lady that had the show at her house has a huge one!! And I do mean huge! But she also has a smaller variety. It doesn't get nearly as large...and it also doesn't bloom at the same time. Anyway..I have 6 acres here...so I will find a spot for one!..or maybe two?...LOL

Jules - are they fast growers? The ones I saw yesterday were really big so I have an idea of the size and a good place to put one - or two, as Marcy says :)

Celene - how old was your Forest Pansy when it came down with the disease and it is a fast grower? My Lavender Twist seems to be a slow grower for the most part and I don't know anything about other redbuds - LT was my very first one.

John and Micheal on the Anderson Tour have the Red Redbuds... one of theirs is dying too.
Notice the top on the one on the left. The center is dying also.
It's being taken out.
Here's some tips.http://www.treehelp.com/trees/redbud/index.asp

The purple leaved ones are not as hardy or strong as the standard ones.

Bottlebrush Buckeyes are not extremely fast growers.
Here's Eric's in 2004... notice the fence.
7 years later it's topped the fence by about a foot.
BUT it is now 8' wide... it will finish at about 15' wide and 8-10' tall.

We have a seedling that we'll keep grounded for another year or two to see it bloom.
Then it's getting a new home.

busy day today
dug up plants for a misting bed
got some plants in ground
planted 2 doz sweet potato plants. sure hope we get some hot weather ! they like it hot .
got some watering done.
trying to get the garden more organized and looking like a garden and not a bunch of plants in straight lines LOLLL
sure am hoping we get this apt for my oldest DD. I think it's time for her to get out of my house !
weather was good for doing garden stuff.

It was a good day to work outside, unfortunately appointments didn't let me get anything done outside. All I got accomplished was going to the grocery. Good reports from both Drs. Have a smash and squeeze scheduled for tomorrow, and I am done until next year for all of the routine things.

Sue, since your DD seems to be doing well, maybe it is time for her to get her own apartment, a job and start living her life. If she will be close, I am sure you will see lots of her. Do the kids enjoy having her around?

Joyce, been thinking of you. Sending hugs your way, thought you could use one, or save it for a day that is especially tough.

the unfortunate part with Jess is that she won't work. won't help herself ect...
she refuses to go to a Independant living house , can't get her to do nothing for her self.
she has no process of accountability and consequences of her actions . Its mind boggling ? i tell you.
i just hope we get this apt that we put in an application for.
well off to the grocery again. Jess is eating me out of house and home. she does pay for her grocery share but man it goes fast !!! she is up to 265 lbs. *sigh*
bbl

Ric, I have four hostas that need to be ID'd - at the RU Robyn said you could probably ID them by the bloom. I was able to get pics of the plants and two of the blooms - the other two aren't ready yet. Okay to send them to your dmail or would you rather me send them to your regular email?

Sue, come to my house and do some of that work you're always busy doing - I have no motivation right now and there's ton of stuff to be done. When navy boy left for boot camp I almost fell over at the change in my grocery shopping - both amount and price. It took me a few weeks to get adjusted. I couldn't believe how much one hungry kid could put away.

Well, we had storms all morning. I was out to get the mammogram, but got home okay amid the thunder, lightening and rain. Mr. B stayed under the bed until late afternoon, poor baby.

While there was nothing that could be done outside, I recruited DH and DGD to help take off border in our bedroom, then put new up. Then DGD painted the tray ceiling, or rather went back and covered up some places I missed when I painted a few weeks ago. Guess my eyesight is too bad to paint anymore. That doesn't make me a bit sad!

Nothing on my agenda tomorrow, so guess if the weather is not rainy will get out and find something to do outside.

Sue, I am sorry to hear that Jess is unable/unwilling to hold a job. Has she had any counseling? Sounds like she needs some motivation.

i hope to get her in some therepy soon. she isn't able to see a phyciatrist until august
i sure hope MR. B is feeling better today ? poor little guy.
Lucy is doing better on the thunder issue.
Ok Di i m on my way over LOL :)
well i m off to bed

good morning
its a slow one here for us.
just off our regular routine and trying to acclimate to summer routine i guess.
got a good chance at a different apt for jess. sounds like the guy may let us move in next week ! and its cheaper then the other ones by $15.00
well its time to call tim on skype
have a great day eveyrone

Working off anxiety on the elliptical trainer today. My dog Hairy S. Truman has a bad tumor in his eye, and we're going to take out the eye, today we find out if he needs anything else, or if it has spread. Because having my OTHER dog's cancer test coming back today isn't stressful enough. I need to weed, doing something brainless helps me not think bad things.

Sue...sounds good on the apartment! Good luck!
Celene...so sorry to hear about your doggies! That's too bad for sure.
Good morning everyone.
I went to a garden party last night at my favorite nursery...Meadowview. It was an invitation only event for VIP customers...LOL...you all KNOW what that means!!
Anyway..it was a wonderful party! I was very surprised at the expense they went to. There was every kind of appetizer you could imagine...even a chocolate fountain with mini cream puffs, angel food cake squares, huge strawberries, etc. They also had iced tea...and it tasted like Melissa tea. Also lemonade and coffee. Then there was a local winery that was giving sample tastings. I'm not much on wine...but they did have one that was really good. It was a cherry cordial with chocolate flavor...mmmm good!
They passed out the rewards cards...which don't usually come until July...when you don't really need them...and it looked like everyone was buying a lot!
I got an Annabelle hydrangea, two of the new double oriental lilies..and gosh..they are as tall as me...with lots of buds! Also got a flat of yellow zinnias, and the second flat was free! Of course I spent all my rewards card and more...lol! We had a great time!
I saw that redbud tree..the dark one...wow...sooo pretty!
All the people that work there were dressed up really nice! Even Earl..the owner! I told him I didn't recognize him...and I didn't !! LOL!
Ok...have to get moving here...Dave has to go to work. \
Ohhh...BTW...does anyone have that recipe for Melissa tea? I used to...but can't seem to find it!? BBL

Marcy sounds like a great time ! i may be heading that way today to see what deals i can score if any at all ?
well its a bit sprinkling out
made stuffed peppers with wild rice and veggies . i need more peppers !

Marcy - LOL - that's bad when you get invited to the VIP party at a nursery! Here's a picture of my Annabelle a few days ago; it's four years old. You'll love it but the only thing is that you have to prop it up with a cage because the blooms get so heavy and they tend to flop - especially in a storm. Once the branches flop you can't get it to un-flop :) and it stays looking bad for the rest of the year. Tom made a good sized cage this spring for mine and it's done great so far.

Sue, that's great about the apartment! Is she going to be living very far from you with all the places you're looking at?

{{Celene}} I'm so sorry to hear about Harry S! Hopefully, nothing else will be needed and your other dog's test comes back fine.

Good morning all!
Ric...looks like you had a good time while you worked...ahem!!!!
Celene, glad to hear about Truman!
In the summer, my jeep sits in the driveway at night...because my parking space in the barn is taken up by all my planting stuff! Well...we been seeing a lot of evidence of raccoons all over the place...near the house! Night before last, one of those coons was up on my car hood...walking around! He first must have been mashing mulberries with his feet though!
We may have to have coon for supper one night soon!
Hoping I can get some more planting done today..but just heard thunder...and it's really dark in the West...grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Marcy, get you a dog! DH has fixed a dog house at the end of the garden because the deer were coming in eating some nice tender plants. He puts a dog out there (chained over night) and no signs of munching vegitation since he started doing that. The dogs get extra treats in the morning for a job well done.

wish we could do that with Lucy LOL put out tomato's and gone ! munched down . i give up on growing tomato's ! i will stick to garlic.
well big blow up her with jess and i... we just don't live together very well.
sure hope that apt comes soon !
rained here today pretty steady around noon.
rained out farmers markets today , got soaked.

Well our oldest son's SSI hearing was yesterday.
The Judge ruled in his favor from the bench which is almost unheard of around here.
So in 3-6 weeks he should start receiving his benefits plus 20 months of back benefits.

Great Ric, yes that is unheard of. When DH was so horribly injured in an accident he filed for SSD, and was turned down. It was not like he was asking for benefits for life, but wanted it when his sick leave (1 year) ran out. Hired a SS Disability Advocate, and went into court and the judge granted it. When DH was well enough to go back to work, he voluntarily terminated it. Some people would have just said to heck with work, and sat on their kiester and let SS take care of them for the rest of their lives.

Sue, no house that I know of is big enough for 2 families. Sending hugs to you, and prayers that the apartment is available soon.

Celene, glad you enjoyed your trip. Guess it was a garden center? LOL

Didn't do much today, I think I have come down with sleeping sickness. DH left early and turned my phone off, and me and Mr. B slept till 10:30, unheard of for me. Did clean the inside of the car really well, and did pull a few weeds, but that is it other than cooking supper and getting some food ready for tomorrow's dinner. We celebrated father's day last night, so we avoided the crowds that will be out tomorrow.

We celebrated father's day again by going out to eat. Overslept and the reason was we were without electricity. Hurridly got dressed and went to church (no make up for me, and DH unshaven) got home from church, still no electricity, so we went out to eat. So guess that makes it 2 meals we celebrated the holiday.

You are right, Sue., another thread. Humidity and 'skeeter population are way up. Sun today maybe dry out a bit. First yellow cosmo bloom, today. Like that one, shorter than others.. Time to get my DEET shower and get to work.

happy solstice everyone. :)
Celene how do you make solstice cookies ?
How is Truman doing today ? i hope much better.
Careful around them skeeters Herman. :)
got some things done in greenhouse boy glad i did it this morning . to hot at moment.

I make sugar cookies with lemon or orange flavor, so they're round and vaguely sun-like. Nothing fancy. Truman acts like he didn't have surgery, it's amazing. My orange cat is determined to groom the eye incision, and T isn't all that happy about it, but they figure it out. It'll be funny if I have to put an elizabethan collar on the cat, when the dog had surgery.

LOL Celene...animals!! They are so funny!
I bought an antique caned rocker at a local garage sale last week. I bought it with the idea in mind that I would try and sell it, since I didn't have to pay but 20 dollars for it. Brought it home...with no real place to put it...so it's here in the computer room. My cat, Mandy, jumped into it immediately...claiming it as hers!! She actually rocks in it...she loves it!! Now..how do i sell that?????
I guess she likes it rocking because she has always jumped up on the outdoor swing with me and swung back n forth...she loves that too.

Well, it seems like the storms like the path over our area. We are under another tornado warning, until about 10:30. We have had nothing yet, but have been watching the tv coverage and it looks like it is headed our way.

Tabasco had a birthday today. Since it is not 12:00, wishing you a very late Happy Birthdy.

Went out early to check the premises for damage. None, but it sure is wet. Over 2 inches of rain on top of the 1 1/2 day before. The weeds should be floating, and I can catch them in a fishing net! Wish it was that easy!

Bonnie, if I had that much rain in 48 hours, I'd have 8 or more inches in the back yard.. I've had some success with corn gluten meal to prevent weeds germinating. Only used around transplants, but I don't seed that much. It can have accumulating effects lasting into the following year. I think I paid $45 for a 50lb bag of raw meal. Pelletized was more expensive. It lasts for years if kept dry.. Gardens Alive call it WOW.
Nice breeze. Hope the lawn dries so I can cut before it rains. I hate cutting wet grass.
Herman

Last year I put it on too thick and the 'coons dug up half my pepper plants. I don't have a problem if I just spread it thinly. One way to stock your freezer with meat for the Winter (LMDO)
Got part of the lawn cut before the rain came. Had lunch and nap. Now the sun is out, along with the flying vampires.

chicken show went good
got 1st in her breed... we were the only one with a Cuckoo Maran LOLL
she got 4th in showmanship. out of 6 kids.
it was a looong show. to long for me.
Di have fun weeding :) pretty flowers.
vic you will appreciate this . we went ot Marie's candies ! yummy . good thing its far away. LOL
gonna go lie down and take a nap.

Woohooo...congrats to Sue and Celene on the winnings!
Hi everyone!
Seems it rained here during the night..not much..but everything is wet again.
Had the gkids last night...they are still here this morning..lol! They are both so good...easy for gma to take care of!
Went to an antique street fair yesterday in Tipp City. It is always such a nice show. They have antiques, uniques, plants..both flower and veggies. Hardly any junk! They block off about 6 blocks of the main street, #571...through town...and the vendors line both sides of the street. Plus, it is an 'antique' town...so all the shops are open too!
I got several little things...like two Hypericon shrubs...one is the regular variety, the other a new variety in which the berries it forms are the show..instead of the flowers. The flowers are still yellow, smaller, and then has red berries that form.
Also got a variety of Arborvitae ..a shrub form...that is yellow, with the new growth being reddish on the tips. Sorry I don't have the names at hand.
Got a new daisy...(to me anyway!)...called Crazy Daisy...very frilly! Also a new Tickseed that is fluted...and has a reddish center.
One dealer that we see at most of the shows we go to...and are friends with, had a couple of wire racks...got those for inside. Also got a new jean handbag this lady made...with a picture embroidered on it. And then I saw this BIG apothocary jar...must be two ft tall! I fell in love with it..had to have it...lol. What am I going to do with it?????? I have no clue..but I'm sure I'll find a spot for it!
Dave found this antique garden cart ...and bought it for me..(well...and probably him too...lol) He had to go back after we brought everything home...with his pick up..to get the cart! It has the big wooden spoked wheels...really neat! So all in all...we had a great time...getting all this stuff we don't need! But this is what we do..instead of taking vacations...sooo!

Weeelllll it's Raining Again... I should just make that my Signature ;-)
T-Storm came in about 4AM and it's just now finishing up.
I hear the birds starting to sing so 'maybe' I can get out to feed the fish.

Sounds like an Awesome sale Marcy!

Here's Eric's Bottlebrush Buckeye.
Lovely sight as we look out the front... and has a nice soft fragrance that I wasn't aware of.

No rain yesterday, but it was warmer at 9:30 this AM (70) than all day yesterday and most of Fri. Raccoon dug up another pepper last night looking for earthworms? Think I'll have to remove the mulch. That will mean more weeding. Tomato cages might help save the plants.
Good day to work and feed the mosquitoes.
Herman

First time here today. Had to have DGD to the airport at 11:00 this morning. She was all packed and ready, just the logistics of getting there. She flew Southwest, and they gave me a pass to go with her to the gate. That really helped her, as she had never flown before and wasn't sure about navigating the airport. She had to fly to Baltimore, and she called and said she was there before I even got home! She got to her final destinaion of Milwaukee on time, and called to let me know that she was there.

Marcy, I am going to come go with you some weekend. You find the neatest things! Yes, that apothocary jar would make a good terrarium, and bet it would be the center of attention in any room you chose to display it.

Celene, I take it you have been having shows to be out of all your products. I think I told you, but I love the gardener's handsoap. Do you have a website? If so, post the address, so we can look at other products,and place orders.

Ric, we are evidently getting the same rains as you. We had a storm about 4:00, didn't last long but it was loud.

I do a show the first Sunday of each month at the North Market in Columbus, and mostly office and home parties till the holidays roll around. All of my stuff isn't on my site, some products are seasonal, so if you want something, just DM me :)

Bonnie no word on apt yet :( that is todays project number 1
Glad DGD got to her destination safe and sound. how exciting for her.
Celene i too enjoyed smelling all your great soaps. :)
watiering the gardens or trying to i may say.
i have about 1/8 th watered so far LOL
Lucy ate a mystery object while helping me water and i spent a good amount of time chasing her and digging it out of her slobbery, drooling , foaming mouth... eeewwww... just nasty

Ooooooooo...a terrarium...why didn't I think of that??????? I have a BIG jar...just one of those big jars like you see in Walmart...and have baby tears growing in it. It started out as a terrarium ...but the baby tears took over...and that's all that is in it now. I'll get a picture of the jar...so I can show you all.
Will also look for the name of that tickseed...think the tag is in the pot.
I didn't mention that I got to talk to one of the owners of Scarff's nursery..in New Carlisle...at that show. He had the Hypericon shrubs and the Arborvitae too...was very knowledgeable. I really enjoyed talking with him. Dave said something to the effect that I had all these things yet to plant...sitting in my driveway...lol. I told him...I never get done planting till frost. He said...of course not...that is the sign of a true gardener. That made me feel good!
Bonnie...they have a show in the fall too. I'll let you know the date when I find it out. Would love for you to come n go with me!!
Ric...oh Ric...PLEASE...look under that bottlebrush of Eric's for a rooted start????????? That is gorgeous! The one I saw was at least 3 times that size...ahem...just sayin!
Sue...at least the thing was still in her mouth! My cat hawked up a baby bird...among other stuff...in the yard...then my son stepped in it! Ewwwwww! He was not a happy camper!!
Well...looks like I typed a book...I better get outa here and get busy..before it decides to rain again. The sun was shining..but now it's clouding up again!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Marcy such a great table clothe ! i love it. i like the jar too :)
pretty tic seed
i have seen them garden carts. but every time i have extra money well someone needs shoes LOL
we have a lot of antique / junk s tores in urbana. i think they are to high for what they have but sometimes i get a good deal. One lady had antique bikes for $120.00 !! ( she was on glue IMHO ) then down the road a guy was having a garage sale and had some old bikes from the 70's and one from the 60's he wanted $20 LOLLLLL i wish i had the extra money for them , they would have been cute with baskets of flowers in the front handle bars and a back basket. :)

deer ate my lilys :(
my holly hock are just not doing anything ? so bummed. yours look wonderful Marcy.
well i got some DE to worm the kittys. wish i did this 2 wks ago .. duh. just got to busy to order it.
they are full of rice thingys in there poop. well i guess that is TMI LOL sorry
i m going to dig up some big daddys and rearrange some plants in the garden.
wish me luck LOLLL
maybe i should show my garden plants Marcys garden pictures . think they may get the hint ?

Celene i m so sorry to hear of the news... sending many warm thoughts to you and their family.
we got sun and warm temps coming in this week.
i have been busy potting up plants
digging and rearanging the gardens.
kids are playing with the kittys.
Lucy is going crazy and sits at the other side of the door.
bbl

good morning
* yaaaawwwwwwnnnnnn *
i tired
late night with a few glasses of wind
took Lucy out to pee and poo
let kittys out to play
nice waking up with no lump on my couch LOL
she went up stairs to sleep in savannah's room.
sat is the day we see if she get the apt.
tomorrow is farmers market .
we may sell iced coffee ! with our lemonade . we do a great ice tea with mint.
well raccoon got into the GH again.
drug out the plasctic jug of Preen ? there is a trail of it off into the woods. I found the jug just mangled and torn up ? can someone please tell me why a critter would eat that ?

Good morning everyone.
Went out to eat last night with a bunch of old g/f's. We had a great time...just eating and talking...catching up on what everyone had been doing.
On the way home...about 9:15pm... I was cruizin down #121...and suddenly there came a family of raccoons across the road! Must have been at least 8-9 of them! I slowed down..thinking they would all be across before I got to them...when suddenly two of them stopped..in the middle of the road! I had to come to a stop! Then...those two went on across...and two others decided to come back across! A car coming the other direction had to stop then! They all made it safely across! At least it wasn't a family of deer!
Wish I had had my camera with me!

LOL see how tired i am , i can't spell "WINE " LOL . i didn't know corn gluten was in the Preen i will check on that. Stupid raccoon. I wonder if he is dead ? you would think eating it would have killed him ?
Marcy your a much better person than i m. i was thinking Road Kill ? !

I guess 8 coons is a bit tricky LOL . you only got 4 tires ROFLLLLLL... i m so sorry i had to say it... .its the wine talking honest it is.
ok i have decided to go vegatarian this year.
got a good website and am going to follow some reciepes.
here is the link. i love this place.

LOL on the 8 coons Sue!
Well...I don't much like them either...and seems everyone around our area is overrun with them this year..including us! They leave messes everywhere!
Dave saw one run across our big side yard the other night...was around dusk. He thought it was a cat at first...but then thought..no..it runs funny. It went up a big maple tree we have there.
Last night it was a skunk he saw ...we are overrun with critters...and don't even live in a woods like Sue!!
And of course..there are ALWAYS the deer n rabbits everywhere.
Glad your gdaughter made it home safely , Bonnie!
Good morning to all!
Going to a surprise BD party this afternoon for an old neighbor from Kettering.
She turned 80 yrs old. Hard to believe she is that old! Should be a fun party...she has 11 living children...and don't know how many grands and greats...but a lot. The kids are coming in from all over...and she doesn't even know!!!

Been out surveying the gardens. Funny how much they change when you don't see them for a few days. Have daylilies blooming all over the place, and so pretty. Have a few new ones I haven't seen bloom before, so had to go out and see them.

Marcy, although we live near a woods, we have never had a problem with deer in the yard, guess because of all the dogs, but this year they are determined they are going to eat our garden before we get a chance to get much from it. DH has fixed dog houses along the far end of the garden, and puts a couple on guard duty during the night. Wouldn't surprise me to see the deer trying to sleep with the dogs as they become accustomed to them being there.

Jess got the apt !!! very excited at our house !!
it was a busy day
farmers market
garage sale
flea markets
goodwill
got a cake
went out to dinner and it was nasty !!! i really wanted our money back. She said they have a mexican buffet. well it was crunchy taco shells , ice burg lettuce , cheese and taco meat ? yea ? Taco Bell is better than that !!! oh it was awful ...

Sorry about the horrible dinner Sue. That does tic me off, hope somebody didn't actually recommend it to you.

Went out to take some pictures, and the camera batteries were dead. Came in and got some fresh ones, but got distracted by something else, and it is dark and no pictures! Maybe I can take some and post tomorrow. The new daylilies are all keepers. I always am anxious to see new ones to see if the catalogs have had their pictures photo shopped. That makes me mad, as I want to see the actual flower, not what someone's idea of what it will look like.

Got the laundry caught up, and cooked dinner for tomorrow. DS and his SO are coming after church, and I just am not that much of a morning person to get up and start cooking!

Marcy hope you had fun at the Party!
And I know which one it was...LOL!
I graduated w/ one of the sons of the Birthday Girl.

Had a nice day up at Cookies.
We helped her a bit in the garden, caught Koi and had Pizza while reminiscing over her Senior (my Sophomore) Yearbook.
I did know who she was then just didn't connect the face...lol!
She's actually standing next to my ex-wife's college roommate in her Gymnastics Group Shot.
SMALL World.

good morning
Glad you had a good time Ric
Bonnie , love when laundry is all caught up. never happens in this house LOL
Jess got the apt oh sorry i said that already LOL
got a misting system thingy project today. the timer is not working right and its driving me crazy !
aaaawwww Lucy just drank from her bowl and slobbered on my me uuuhhhhgggggg.
i feel like Lucy from the Snoopy characters LOL
great day to you all

Happy 3rd of July everyone!!! SMILE!!!!
Sue...we ate at Bob Evans Friday night...service was really slow! The manager came over..asked how everything was...SIL said ok..then muttered under her breath..if we ever get our food!
Well..the mngr heard her! She came back later...told us that...said give me your bills..I'll see what I can do! SIL was so embarrassed! But when the mngr came back..she had cut our bills in half!!!! SIL said..I can suffer the embarrassment for that!!!
Ric...yesssss...and I forget which one it was that you graduated with?? Was it Rick or Mike?? Every single one of those 11 kids were there!
It was at Rick's house. They put on quite a party! Drinks of every kind of course...lol...food was catered in...delicious! Big tent up in the back yard with tables n chairs for everyone. One of the girls had told Shirley (mom) they were taking her somewhere...and then brought her to Rick's house. Was she ever surprised!!!!!!!! It was great!!
We had a fantabulous time...so good to see old neighbors n friends'!!
Don't know how many of you have been down I 75 lately..but it's really torn up from construction right now...so Dave didn't want to go that way. We went instead..through Dayton...better known as the 'war zone'! Locked our doors...and just kept moving!! Wow...what a mess it has become down there!
Also..wanted to tell about the killer brownies!

I'm sure some of you have heard about the Pioneer Woman's website? She has a cookbook out, etc. Well..it seems someone sent her a tin of brownies...from..wait for this...Dorothy Lane Market, in Dayton, Ohio!! And they were called 'killer brownies'! She loved them soo much, that she tried to duplicate the recipe...and put it on her website. So i printed it out.
Since we had to go right by the market yesterday...I had Dave stop and buy us each one of those brownies...so I can see for myself if her recipe is the same..or close! And besides that...Dave worked at DLM for years!!!! That was where he worked when we got married! How it has changed though...LOL! It's a real classy grocery now...lol!!!! Plus..they have more than one now. And I worked diagonally across the street at the Oakwood Eye Clinic! Wow...good ole days!

i think i m the only one that doesn't like Dorothy Lane markets ? LOL
not much going on here today
cats are finding new homes. just can't take it anymore
i really don't like em.
the expense is killing me
60.00 neauters each. + worming + shots ect...
we didn't expect to have 3 cats
everyone who wanted on , completely bailed on us ??? now they won't take them
lady told me to take em to the race track . jockeys like to fer mice patrol

Sorry about the kitties Sue. I understand, with 11 dogs, we may as well have our retirement checks made out to the local vet! Well, I will reserve mine for flowers, they are DH's dogs, so he can pay all the vet bills!

Went to church this morning, then DS and his SO came home with us for lunch, and stayed most of the afternoon. Enjoyed it, but I usually have a Sunday afternoon nap!

Finally able to log on. Marcy, dead raccoons don't spread rabies. Haven't had anything dug up lately. Put down wire and used tomato cages around peppers. No blooms on the dragons, yet but the plants look good. Computer lasted a long time tonight. Got some banking done and caught up here. The computer doesn't like Fire fox or gmail Shuts them down. even on IE.\
Herman

Celene that is great news , hope you had a great visit
Every animal shelter and sanctuary in the 50 mile radious of me is full ! uhhg. * sigh *
i won't dump them off anywhere , since that only continues the crazy homeless cat epidemic.
just don't know what else to do.
Bonnie them pups sure are cute !! a big "awwwwww"
raining here today.

It is gray and overcast here, with rain sprinkles. Been out deadheading the daylilies, and a few other weed pulling jobs. Will wait to see what the weather is before planning anything that will take any length of time to complete.

Celene Great that you ran into Candy! Even better that's she's back Healthy again!
We were just talking about her. Many of her gift plants are blooming.

Slow steady soaking rain coming down. Looks like maybe a 1/2 hour of it left.
We had emptied all the rain collectors and the are back to about 1/2 full...
Hopefully we'll be able to get out and finish the new projects.

Marcy the yard looks GREAT!
Haven't heard about Robyn's Family Reunion yet but we will definitely get w/ you when we do.

Here's a little critter that popped but yesterday.
We saw them breeding and laying eggs last year so I guess the Nymphs and popping now!
Blue Dasher Male.

LOL Cookie. You caught me . ack :P i like some stuff there ok the cheese , figs and couscous salad is to die for and honestly the one by your house is much better .
i guess i just get so spoiled by the JJ's . * blushing shamelessly *
KITTY RESUCUE CAME THROUGH !!!!!!!! HOLY COW ... HAPPY DANCE ,HAPPY DANCE AND GREAT JOY !!
its called Lil Paw Rescue and i think its up by your Ric ? or maybe Cookie ? its a 513 area code . that is Cincy ?
things are falling into place ... knock on wood. ...
Jess is at her new apt , tonight is her first night there. Got her a new bed and mattress. ton of grocerys. some around the house stuff. a pint size jar full of quarters for laundry
kittys will have a good home.
next stop
misting timer to get it set at right time. LOL
then who knows what lies next ??? :whistling:
aaaaahhhhh life... such a ride

Sue, glad the kitties are finding good homes. The fact that you had them spayed and neutered probably helped with getting them placed.

I didn't get much done today, except laundry. Made some zuchinni bread and it was a failure. I have been making at least one loaf a week, and it has been good, but I added a cup of applesauce to this batch, and it didn't rise, and just didn't do well.

Bonnie i didn't spay or neutor them. the cost is to high for me. 60.00 each and that is at a low cost clinic. We are happy to have them go to good homes.
not much going on here.
a critter of some sort is knocking over my plants ...grrrrr. time to get more coyote urine.
have fun at work Ric. :)

Larkie yes your right it is a good price. But for all three it would be 180.00 . i know many vets cost that just for one kitty.
well the lady has not called me back yet . sure hope i can get in touch with her soon.

Good evening. I did the grocery/errand thing today, and by the time I got everything put away it was 2:30, so had a rest, and then cooked supper about 5:00. Had 3 extra to eat, but had plenty.

Sue that is a good price. Since everybody here (except Mr. B) is taken care of, it has been awhile since we have had that done. Wait until Wayne has to have 4 females spayed, he will really regret keeping all of the puppies.

Celene, speaking of spaying, what is the recommended age to spay females? About the same for neutering the males?

For cats, I'd spay them at four months or four pounds, whichever comes first. They recover so much more quickly when they're smaller, and you run less of a chance of them going into heat. If you can spay a dog or cat before the first estrus cycle, you can with almost 100% certainty prevent breast cancer.

Thanks Celene. What about the male dogs? We have a female somewhere in the neighborhood that is in heat, as Mr. B went out last night and was gone 2 hours, and then the neighbor called me this morning, and they saw him about a 1/2 mile from home. He never goes out of the yard, and that is the only thing that would lure him out. Will make sure that he gets an outing before bedtime, and then not let him out during the night.

july they are having the low cost spay and neuter clinic.
sure wish i had the extra money to do it.
i believe the lady with the sanctuary will do that . Once i surrendor the kittys they will get good homes .
well found 3 baby coons in the GH tonight ? and all i had was a badmiten racket ! ? LOL
believe me ... they don't respond well to a badmiten racket. Honestly they just were not very nice about it... LOL
gonna have to get the coyote pee ordered .
This is one reason i didn't want the kittys as outside kittys . Until we get a barn, kittys are inside .
the coons don't seem to bother the chickens any ??? so as long as they don't bother my chickens... ?
they can stay. but they do dig up my potted plants and that can ruffle my feathers. grrrr
good night friends

Good morning!
Around here...at least..the coons are just terrible this year? Wonder why?
Everyone is saying there are an over abundance of them! Must have been because of the 'long hard winter'...huh????????? LOL...sorry..!!
Wow was I ever in a grouchy mood last night!
Had a dentist appt at 11:30 am yesterday. They were late taking me...apologies from everyone...but still. I was there from 11:30 to 2 pm..
I knew I would be there for a hour and a half...but not THAT long!!
Then got home...cat was puking everywhere. She kept trying to eat...and it just wouldn't stay in...so I knew it was worming time! Called vet's office ...new girls there...no vet. Had to convince them ..that I always get pills for her...not liquid. Then I had a half hr drive to go get them...one way!
Back home again...almost supper time. Had to wait for Dave to get home to give her the pills anyway...and even then...needed another pr of hands...lol.
She doesn;t like anything being put into her throat...lol! Imagine that!
Yes...she is MUCH better today, thank you!
My poor kitty!!
I was tired from the weekend...and then all that. Dave was in a grouchy mood too...so...it wasn't a very pleasant evening around here...lol. Ohhh..and my computer kept booting me off too...grrrrrrr!
I finally went to bed! Good idea huh?
Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Here's a pic of the lilies I have blooming now. The one in the center is an asiatic that somehow hitchiked a ride with a couple of daylilies and is the most fragrant lily I have ever smelled. It is wonderful. It is pure and smells likke lily perfume. However, I don't remember planting it. LOL Have a good day everyone! Lou

my glad are starting to get buds on them but i m sure a deer will enjoy them before i do :(
Lou looking good !!
my hydrangea's are getting yellow leaves on them :( so many possibilities it could be ?
i also didn't know that JB like EE's ? found a few on them munching away grrrr.
well i guess i can spare a few since i have 20 o them LOL
Ric my Diamond Head is georgous . how is yours doing ?
welp off to finish my java and hit the watering

Lou, beautiful lilies, but if the lily is fragrant, it has to an Oriental, or one of the new hybrids. Asiatics usually are not fragrant. At any rate, enjoy them, as I love the aroma near my front door when my Orientals are blooming.

Wow Bonnie...I learned something new today already! I never realized that asiatics weren't fragrant...but now that you say that...and I think about it...yep! And I was gonna say that looks like an oriental.
I have that same lily Lou...right near my back door...and yes..the fragrance is wonderful!! But I don't remember the name of it!!
Good morning all.
Well...my case of the 'grumpies' is still hangin on . Must be the weather.
Guess I better go outside and work it off today...no matter the humidity!

well i did a lot today.
got some 50 + hosta's repotted
25 small tree's repotted
went to grocery
got rabbit food at TSC
new water bowls for chickens
chased a baby raccoon out of my GH again !! i lost several plants from him tipping over the pots grrrrrr.
got hamberger on stove cooking
i have been alchol free and well not excatctly sugar free. but i m taking one day at a time. LOL
sugar is the hardest to quit

Gosh, Sue I am proud of you. I used to drink some beer, but decided a long time ago that it did nothing but add calories to my diet, and therefore pounds to my rear!

Went to the Dr with my older DS today, and they are doing more tests. Xrays show a large place on her rib cage, but blood tests say no cancer. So will be at least a week and a half before those result are in.

Don't have anything on the calendar tomorrow, but watch it rain, since I will be at home all day, the first time all week!

Sue the 'Diamond Head' is absolutely amazing!
I was blown away w/ it last year when Joyce and I happened upon it.
Like it even better this year w/ more Sun!

'Jack's Giant' has thrown it's second 26" leaf. This is in partial sun!!!
The ones in full sun are just getting going.
They were planted 3 weeks after the big gun and at a much smaller size.
Already have 18" leaves.
The original pot has now thrown 24 pups.

Well, I am a better weather forecaster than any that are actually paid to do that! It started raining sometime after 2:00 a.m, and it rained all morning, until about noon. Not a heavy rain, but a nice gentle, soaking in kind of rain. I needed to work outside but didn't get a chance to do that.

Instead, I took all the antique jars, crocks, and enamelware from the tops of the cabinets, and cleaned them. Someone told me to take a dust cloth and spray it liberly with pledge and go over the outsides of the glassware, then the next tiime, they won't be difficult to clean. You all know that the cooking particles that clings to stuff? Supposedly this will help keep it off, or make it easier to clean. I use artifical vines and twine it through the glassware, so when I took it down, couldn't think of a good way to clean it, so just took it out and threw it in the pool. I will have to fish it out tomorrow and get it back up there.

Then the washer and dryer seemed like it ran all morning. Changed 2 beds, towels from yesterday's swimming, and then the ordinary clothes. So I was busy, but didn't get out to pull the weeds that I had planned on pulling.

Tomorrow morning, I think I will get out and try to find some yard sales to go to. If anybody wants to eat tomorrow night, it will be eating out. I am on semi strilke!

Ric sounds like your elephant ears are really growing huge. Would love to have some of those leafs at the end of the season to make some leaf castings.

back from farmers market
sold 32 drinks... savannah made some money.
Bonnie glad you guys got some rain . we sure could use some . YOu sound busy with house and laundry. Have fun at the yard sales. :)
Ric my jacks giant i think is just waiting for a bigger pot ? just have not had the time to start dividing it . The DH my leaves are 22 " long and glossy like a shiny leather . Pretty Pretty .
Illustris is still having bug issue's . JB really like that one :( DE only does so much LOL Looks like a bakery blew up at our house LOL
still repotting stuff.
back to work
bbl

We moved three more Jack's Giants to bigger pots today.
They are WATER HOGS! The soil in the pot was wet... near the roots bone dry.
I'll be setting them all on saucers of fert/water till Fall.

Ran over and did a Ceiling Fan repair for a Friend this afternoon.
She was going to hire an electrician till she saw our 5 fans... so she hired us... took more time to break it down and reinstall than to repair the few loose wires.
Her Mom and Grandmother (old Friends) popped in as we finished...
we all hung out on her deck for burgers and beers... nice Saturday!

Ric, you seem to have a knack for finding the food after doing a job. Good pay I guess for the work! Wish I could be so lucky, but I don't have many skills to barter for food. (Don't go there)!

Sue bet Samantha was a happy camper today making money on the drinks. Did she make lemonade to sell? Did you take some plants to sell?

Well, I might as well not have a garden. Mentioned to DH this morning that I had a quick errand, and he sends me all over 2 counties getting things for him. When I got home, about 1:30, just put on a swim suit and vacuumed the pool and hung out there for a couple hours. DGD and DH went to a horse pull at the fair tonight. I didn't want to go, as I have seen way too many horses behinds in my lifetime. I stayed here and had a big chef's salad for supper, and have been reading. At least I had peace and quiet for a few hours.

Ric an Bonnie LOL to funny
yes we do strawberry lemonade and herbal ice tea.
we may venture into ice coffee's ?
sound like you had a good time at the pooL Bon's.
Ric always with friends. A great thing :) sounds like a fun time yoiu had.
well just woke up so i m getting my java in me

Good morning all.
Celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary yesterday.
Went to the Farm Power of the Past show at the Darke Co. Fairgrounds. They have a big flea market every year. It wasn't so great this year...lol.
I got over heated...too much sun.
Then we ate supper at ...wait for it...Bob Evans...LOL! And then stopped at Micky D's for a mocha frappe. And then I got sick!!
Too much food...too much heat. Came home ..was miserable for a while..then started feeling better. What a great anniversary...lol.
Guess this 'old people' is getting too old for such stuff!
Nothing much planned for today...guess we will stay home and work.
Wishin I had a pool! Or that my hot tub even worked!
Or maybe I should just go back to bed?????? LOL...looks like all I am doing is complaining here...shame on me! I AM glad to be alive!!!
Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Congratulations a day late!! That's a long time to be married. I know. Our 45th is coming up and it seems like ou wedding was in an alternative universe and another lifetime. LOL! I can't take the heat any more either. I try to garden a bit each day and mostly that is pulling weeds and deadheading, now. After awhile, I stand up straight from bending over and am so dizzy, I wonder if I can make it up to the patio table and chairs to sit down. I feel worthless to say the least when I remember how I used to be out in the garden all day and get it looking pretty good once a week. NOw, it seems like I fight the battles but lost the war a long time ago. Enjoy the summer everyone. Lou

its a hot one today again.
take it easy in this heat you guys.
Marcy congrats on the anniversary
Lou i think i lost the same battle LOL
been organizing around house today.
trying to get my life reorganized ? it could happen

Evening, folks. It was a busy day, and no it didn't involve any outside work. Had a baby shower to go to this afternoon, and after that, just vegged inside under the AC. Wow it was a scorcher out there today. Took Mr. B for his ride about 6:30, and even he didn't want to get out of the shade.

Lou, I think I just cannot do the heat any more. If I garden, it is in the early morning, or very late afternoon, or almost dusk. Then the skeeters are so bad that I feel that they could carry me off, and my DH not know where I went.

Sue, I have given up trying to be organized. My goal now is to remember where I put things.

LOL @ Lou n Bonnie! Yes...I can tell the heat doesn't like me either.
But I STILL would much rather be hot than cold!
Guess we better be buying some wood for this winter! Got our level billing for propane...geezzzz...it went from 115. a month ..to 268. a month! Think this house is gonna be COLD this winter!!!
We do have the wood stove...but I won't go away and leave it burning...no matter what. Have seen n heard about too many home fires...chimney fires..etc. We had a chimney fire once...when we lived in Kettering. Let me tell ya...it's a really scary thing when you see the INSIDE pipe get cherry red!
Thank God...we got the air shut down to it right away. My oldest son thought fast on that one! And I think that's what made him become a firefighter too!
Still laughing at Bonnie and ' remember where I put things'...lol. That's my goal too!!!
Sue...good luck on the organizing too...lol!

Boy it is a scorcher out there, and has been since daybreak. If I go outside it will be to the pool. DGD and DS are cleaning for me today. I just silked some corn, and am going to cut it off and fry it, have fresh apples on cooking, so it will be a mostly veggie supper tonight.

RIP desktop. my son talked me into this laptop. will take years to learn it. He paid for a third, so I am grateful. A after a week w/out I'm sure there are no computers in Hell. More later when I learn to use this thing.
Herman

did some errands today
went to water park . savannah didn't have fun... she is just to shy to go and play .Austin on the other hand , you coldn't get him away from that water slide !
so she sat with me and we walked around a bit. she would venture off for a bit then dip her foot then back over to me.
hit wally on way home ,
got caught in storm ,
got home ate dinner
helped out our friends , their dd is in the hosp.
made it home just in time for hte second round of storms
showered
and had some pudding.
it was a good day :)

Herman, welcome back. It won't take long for you to figure out the new computer. In my experience, it is just a littlier keyboard, and if you are running the same OS, or even if you upgraded, it won't take long to figure it out. Looks like you have already figured out the pictures! What kind of Buttrfly is that? Pretty.

Well, this has been our hottest day on record. the actual temp was 96 by with a dew point of 77, which made it feel like 115. And yes, it did feel like 115, or even more. No rain in sight, well, wl are sayng 20% tomorrow, and 40% for the next two days. We can really stand some.

I went out and worked about an hour putting up some shade for the littlier dogs. They have shade in one area of the kennel, but when the sun moves overhead, it was useless, so put up some in another corner, and boy they sure acted like they appreciated it later in the afternoon. I guess DH being a hoarder pays off at times. I went out to his barn looking around for a tarp, but found a huge umbrella that went with a tractor he had ages ago. It was hanging in the rafters, so I got it down, and rigged up a pipe in the ground to hold it, and to keep it out of the reach of inquiring little teeth, and wallah, a made in the shade project.

Other than that, I did some cooking. Fried a big skillet of corn, cooked some june apples, and made a blackberry cobbler. DH went out early and picked about a gallon. If I never had another blackberry, I wouldn't have been out there picking any today. Oh, BTW these are the wild blackberries, and he has the scratches to prove it! After having most of the food ready, DH and DGD went to another horse pull tonight, so I just put it in the fridge and it will be eaten tomorrow night. So practically no cooking for me tomorrow.

WB Herman. Like Bonnie said...you will get used to it quickly.
It was HOT here yesterday too!!! We had 95...dont know what the dew point was...but it was definitely up there! Water ran off me...just sitting still!
We had a horrendous storm last night. I had to shut down the puter for over an hour. I had just gotten it shut off and unplugged everything...when this huge lightning strike hit! Wow! And from then on...the lightning was just awful and continuous.
There must have been a bad fire on back the road from us. At least ten to fifteen fire trucks, rescue squad, sherrif cruizers went by our house...sirens blaring. You dont see that often in the country!
I told Dave to call me after he gets to work today and finds out where it was!
Well..I'm going to try and do a little something outside before it gets so hot again today!
I liked your umbrella idea Bonnie! My poor kitty is so used to going out at night...before bedtime. She just had a fit cause she couldn't go last night. Poor baby!

Well, doing a little cooking this morning (before it gets hot)! Ha, it was hot at 6:00 this morning. DH went out to the garden, and he is overun with squash and zuchinni. He has gone up the road to give it away to all takers! He plants way too much and then grumbles that people don't seem grateful to get it. My gosh, there is only so much you can do with zuchinni! I have a loaf of bread in the oven right now.

Bet our pool will be the place to be today. Don't care, if anybody is looking for a not so hot place, this is it.

Bonnie i found a recipe for fried zuccini cheese sticks . they sure look good . i will see if i can type up the recipe for you. maybe if you copy off a bunch of them recipes and give them out to the people they will want more zuccinin's ?
i would love some of them zuc's . i have so many idea to do with my dehydrtor oh the things i could do with all them zucc's

The keyboard is full size but the keys are not on the front edge like my old Underwood. There is so much more to 7 than XP I have to be careful not to even LOOK any place except what I want to happen.
Picked 2 qts of raspberries and made another 2.5 pts of freezer jam today. Had a quarter inch of rain yesterday. First in 2 weeks. Temp dropped 20 degrees for a brief time. Still have 50 e mails to look at plus other things I have neglected.
Herman another view

Good afternoon.
Sneaking a lil break in here...even though I'm not supposed to!
Much nicer temps today..in the 80's and much lower humidity.
Been yelled at because everything isn't planted yet...oh well.
Next year will be different..I can guarantee it!
Hope you all are having a wonderful day out there!

Talked to Joyce yesterday at Lunch.
Seems she stepped off the deck wrong... VERY wrong... broke both her fibula and tibia ... or the two lower bones in your leg.
Splinted at that time and she was heavily medicated...
She was waiting to hear from the Ortho ...

poor Cookie.
i m heading up there that way today to drop off kittys. i called her and i shall see if she is up for a short visit .
I will offer her some help with her parents . i can always stay a weekend or two and help out.
Kids can stay with FIL and or the neighbors. I m sure kids won't mind that LOL

saw Cookie today. She went to the dr , got a new splint and goes to surgery on thursday. I plan on bringing her a pie and tater tot casserole :)
she is doing well , she saw the Dr , thursday she gets surgery.
she is in a wheelchair and uses crutches also. but she doesn't like neither one. pushing her in the wheel chair in her garden was a task LOLLL
i will send her your wishes next time i see her.

Where the heck is everybody? I guess the sun, hot weather and humidity has already cooked everybody.

Things are beginning to come in from the garden. I have made pickles, sweet pickle relish and canned some green beans today. The tomatoes are ripening so slow that I am picking them, washing them, putting them in gallon bags and putting them in the freezer. Will save them like that until I have enough to do something with them.

I go out in the early morning, or wait until almost dark and go out to water. I just can't stand to be in this heat. Just trying to keep things from croaking, forget about getting things to look good. We are so dry, have only had 2/10 of an inch of rain this month. It has rained all around us, and we heard thunder almost every afternoon, but we get nada.

DH's nephew was struck by lightening last week. He was fishing and a storm came up, and he was trying to get everything gathered up and into the truck. He and his son were both hit. They were in the hospital for 3 days. Seem to be doing okay now. Nasty stuff that lightening.

Joyce, how are you doing? Sure hope that the foot/ankle/leg is healing well. What a time to be in a cast, during this heat. A clothes hanger works for itches!!

Sue, how are you and the kids? DD still in the apartment and doing okay?

Ric, how does your garden grow?

~~ to Celene and Jan, hope everything is well at your place.

Celene have to tell you. My DGD is 15 and has said from the time she was little that she wanted to be a vet. Well she got the opportunity to apprentice at a vet practice, and witness what goes on daily. Well they did a spay, with her acting as tech in the operating room. She almost fainted, so she is looking for another profession! I told her it wasn't all sweet puppies and kittens. She found out the hard way.

Bonnie, that happens a lot. FWIW, it's pretty easy to get past that, but if she looked at the reality of medicine and thought "Gee, I don't pet puppies and kittens all day??", well...she's headed in the right direction, then. :)

I have some soap orders to fill, and some green tomato mincemeat. Then, I get to test fall/winter candle scents. Who wants pine tree and pecan or pumpkin pie in their house in July and August? Ick.

Robyn, Sue and I got Cookie's Garden in Tour shape today.
Basically a bit of weeding, some straightening up and mulch/compost spreading.
Looks Spiffy! MAN was it toasty though... 96° I think it was.
Also took a trip over to Bertie and Herb's. Her Gardens are on the tour also and look Great!

Joyce is weaning herself off the meds and was in fine form today.
No cast just splinted and ace bandaged. She'll get the stitches out this week.
She sat out on the swing by the pond and gave us directions from her wish list.
I noticed she was having trouble w/ her crutches and readjusted them a bit. She's getting around much easier now.

We have noticed a decline in the number of butterflies this year. Usually we have lots of them, but for some reason, this year we only have three or four at a time. Has anyone else notice this or is it an Indiana thing? Lou

Lou, you just have to enter them in the photo contest. Great pictures. What kind of camera do you have? I have never been able to capture a hummingbird without it looking all blurry. I want the kind of camera you have!!

hey folks
Cookie is doing great. Garden is in tip top shape. :)
saturday went well. Many people loved her place and enjoyed her gardens.
Was a scorcher for sure !!
and today i planned on sitting on my butt and doing nothing but i don't think that will happen
Tim will be here on wendsday and kids need to finish some 4 h projects.
truck is getting a cleaning overhaul
and watering continues/
Bonnie so sorry to hear of the lightening with your family ! wow. glad they are ok. My brother was hit while mountain climbing in Utah. Really messed him up bad. 4th degree burns over 25 % of his body . you could actually see the line of burns where the lightening entered and exited !! my mom took pics ??? why ? i have no idea seems kinda weird . LOL his eyesight was damaged also.
For years he really had bad flashbacks if there was a lightening storm.
off and getting the java in my blood to get me going

Completely covered with cloth, boots and DEET, I ventured into the back 40 {feet}. very little standing water, but visibility poor because of the mosquitoes. Catbirds got the blueberries. Only a few blackberries survived the inundation. Willows making fantastic growth. Since I was protected from the skeeters, I started pruning the raspberries. After a bit, I came in and wrung the sweat out of my clothes and lounged in front of the fan. Now with my batteries recharged, it's back to move the prunings and water the potted plants.

good luck salix_man on the skeeters . i got hit pretty good at Cookies house 18 so far i counted.
got some things done today
got all the EE's moved and in a kiddie pool of water LOL Ric gave me the idea. I forgot all about our little pool.
got some tree's that need much attention. weeds pulled out of their pots and moved onto a wood thingy , then got some trays and got most of the plants in them so they don't dry up to quick after i water.
kids helped me wth some projects in the house with cleaning
got grocerys
paid bills
whew i m pooped

Well, my family had it's reunion today. Was outside but plenty of shade and a breeze, wasn't cooling, but better than nothing. It did help to dry the sweat so you didn't stay wet all day! Surprisingly, everybody stayed for several hours. You know how when the exodus starts, usually everybody follows suit? Some of my relatives I don't get to see often, so really enjoyed catching up with them.

DH and I just finished breaking a 5 gallon bucket of green beans, so will put them on first thing in the morning to can, and hopefully not have to have the house heated up on up in the day. I have tomatoes to do Tuesday, and probably on Thursday we will have corn ready. So if I survive this week putting it all up, I should be around to eat it come winter.

Bonnie, I'd settle for one serving. Between the excess water and groundhog, I'll be lucky to get that by frost.
Went to Dr this AM. Weight down more and hbA1c down to 5.9. PT for my lower back- change med -come back in 4 mos.He mentioned colonoscopy==I said I waited 75 years for the first one, I'll wait another 75 for the next.lol He is easy to get along with.
Herman

Great A1C score. Congrats!~ I would love for hubby to get his that low. It was 10.3 last time and they told him if he didn'[t get it lowered he would have to go back for remedial lessons with the dietician.LOL

Tough news this morning.
We lost our dog Wu about 3AM last night.
Heart Attack. She had been a little puny the last few days but nothing out of the ordinary.
Haven't got her papers handy but she was 11 years old I'm pretty sure.
Most Shar-pei of her generation passed on at about 5 of a genetic condition.

Ric i m so sorry to hear of the news of Wu. Sending many heartfelt thoughts to you and Robyn.
well our baked goods were a bust ! i don't get it ? they didn't even try some of the entries ? it looked as if they just threw them in a pile.
My black raspberry got nothing !! they didn't even taste them ? ! no explanation . i m pretty upset about it too
garlic jelly got second place. hooray.
austin was pretty bummed about his brownies :(
i wanted to stay for the judgeing but noooooooooooooo... Tim wanted to go home. next year he is just going to have to deal with it
got some great deals on some plants
so we are pretty tired.
bbl
ps Cookie called me and said she got the stitches out and DR.Dreamy Cutie Pie says" she is doing the best i have ever seen for someone with this kind of injury" so all is good with her.

So sorry to hear of Wu's passing. She lived a good long life for that breed. She was blessed to have had you and Robyn as her caregivers. I still remember you posting episodes of her getting out and was so determined to come back home. May the good memories outweigh the bad ones in your rememberance of her.

We got rain too, but only about 2/10th of an inch. Anything is better than nothing.

Sue, try not to be so upset about your entries in the fair. If 4-H is the same there as it is here, it is all filled with politics, and in order to be able to win, you have to have long standing community connections. Just know in your heart, it was the best that you all could present, and take comfort in that. If I had a stock of blue ribbons, I would send them to you to give to the children.

Good news about Joyce. Hope that she is up and about under her own steam shortly.

Thanks Guys!
It was a quick and fairly quiet passing.
She was pretty much always a Joy to be around and there really haven't been any health problems.
So there is much to be said for that.
She'd been w/ us since we've been at DG.
Many of you have met her and she even 'allowed' a few skritches to be given her way by some...LOL!
Lou your 'Beware of Wu' Slate will stay permanently on the front door.
She is now buried in the Brickroom, along w/ Drake's Ashes.
We're going to get Bricks made, or DIY them, w/ their names and dates on them.

I spoke w/ Joyce for about 30 minutes this morning.
She's doing GREAT. But eager of course to be up and at'em.

Ric beautiful rendition of "Somewhere over the rainbow". I am sure that you will meet Wu again, and she will be a young frisky thing without any health problems whatsoever. I choose to believe animals will be in heaven, otherwise, I don't think God would provide us a forever place without the addition of animals.

Wish some of the rain, without the storm part could visit us. We had rain overnight, but only 2/10th of an inch. Guess some is better than none, but we are so dry that it would take lots more to even make up the deficit.

Ric hope work goes by quickly for you today.
Tell Roby i say hi
just woke up
we are heading to fair again to support our friends who are doing sheep.
tomorrow Tim and leave for Cleavland to do a get together with some garden people i do business with. Short trip though.
karen i hope you don't have sinus infection feel better soon .
hi to everyone else
sorry but we are going around 100 mph this week with fair and projects.
camera broke or i would have taken pics of our new area in front.
sue